Sandy Dreams

 On our way to Waxahachie we stopped at Medicine Park. We got the bikes out and rode around town. Super cool little place. It is a very small community all the houses are built from cobblestone. There was a local swimming hole, it looked really cool. We did not go swimming. Although we did find some live music at a dive bar! Our campground for the night on the side of the road. The swimming hole. Riding bikes. Another view of the swimming hole.

 Somewhere between Perkins and Waxahachie I bent the jack on the trailer. I think I did it in OKC. The new one folds up so hopefully that doesn't happen again. New Jack and old jack. Broken weld. It's crazy that it's cheaper to buy a new Jack than to have the old one welded.

 I built the last porch on the farm in 2005-2006 ish?!? It was made from treated lumber and pretty rotten.  Time for a new porch! In the Caribbean they use a wood called IPE, it is similar to teak but on steroids. It lasts 75 years if you take care of it and 40 years if you don't.  I built the sub structure out of plastic lumber. Hopefully it will last 75 years being out of the sun and in the shade. The sub structure. A good start. The challenge of three different surfaces coming to one. Almost all done. I am going to finish the step and outside border, then my mom will have to finish the rest! Which is sanding and oiling.

 When I got back to the farm and moved into the Ambulance I noticed the solar was only putting out around 50 watts (there is 900 watts installed). It was a little hazey and I assumed the panels were dirty from sitting in the barn all winter.  The first thing I did was clean them and then wait for a sunny day. Once I got my sunny day there was no change. Next step climb on the roof and check all the connections, everything seemed good. Next step resest the solar charger. Still no change. Now I'm getting frusterated. I by-passed the solar charger and hooked the panels directly up to the battery and still no change. So I definently have bad panels, but nine bad panels? After a little research I think I found my mistake.  I bought the flat flexible panels and I glued them to the roof with 5200 Marine Adhesive because I didn't want to drill holes in my roof.  Well solar panels get hot and need to breath and be cooled and being glued down to an insulated roof I think I bur...

 I finished the boat that we're taking to Mexico. It's going to be our fishing, snorkel, dive, wakeboard and sunset boat. This is the boat when I first bought it My mother towed the boat from Oklahoma to Shreveport LA and had the old 28hp Johnson taken off and a new Mercury 50hp installed. (The Johnson is for sale if anyone is interested).   Once I got back to Oklahoma I went to work. I changed the depth sounder, added a battery switch, added a switch panel, added a bilge pump, added nav lights, built a windshield, new VHF radio, and added mounts for my phone and tablet.  The new Helm! The Ambulance Chaser behind the Ambulance.